Welcome To Women Leading Tech
Few industries in history have exerted such control and influence over the lives of everyone on this planet in the same way that the tech industry has over the last 30 years.
The mass adoption of the mobile phone in the 90s brought an unprecedented level of interconnectedness to societies around the world. The dot com bubble made fortunes for some and left just as many clutching at straws in an effort to recoup lost gains and convince others that the internet would be as transformational as promised.
The BlackBerry (remember those?) changed the complexion of work forever. Suddenly, everyone was always available over email — for better and, more often, for worse. Then, the iPhone, while not the first touchscreen or even popular smartphone, served as a paradigm shift in how everyone interacts with the world around them.
Behind the scenes, advancements in networking and infrastructure brought on unprecedented speeds of communication and transactions, allowing people to work, play and interact quicker and more naturally. However, these also ushered in extra challenges around cybersecurity and privacy that have not — and perhaps never will be — solved.
But, while these changes were created by diverse teams of people from around the world, white American men fresh out of college with precious little grasp on how the world actually worked were tasked with and given the credit for bringing these new technologies to market.
While we have become better at identifying the invaluable contributions of women from around the world to our advancements in technology, there is still a long way to go.
Is the touted mixed martial arts fight between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, with the hubris, aggressive masculinity and toxicity surrounding it, the impression that we want to give our children of the tech industry? Likewise, is the relentless corporate libertarianism beloved by the likes of Peter Thiel the best way for technology to interact with the world around us? Are the satellite tech towns and rampant inequality brought to much of San Francisco through the inflated wages dolled out to engineers the way that we want our societies to become structured?
Women are still underrepresented in the tech industry, leading to a wealth of problems around accessibility, representation and understanding. Venture capital money, the lifeblood of the startups that bring innovation to the sector, is overwhelmingly given to male-founded startups that perpetuate the problems discussed above. All of these problems exist, to a greater or lesser degree, in Australia.
With Women Leading Tech, we are not proposing that we will solve these problems. Instead, we hope that by giving the invaluable women in the industry a platform to connect, share, network, meet, learn and engage we can help to make the industry work better for everyone, by shining the brightest possible light on the women that lead the tech industry now and will lead it in the years to come.
Latest News
Host Of New Hires At Snap
Snap Inc. has announced a host of new hires across its team in Australia, including Dina Bailey as ANZ agency lead. Lead image: L to R – Dina Bailey, Bethany Rao-Davies, Sarah Ding, Rob Fitzpatrick, Tony, Daniel King, Elise Keeling The new hires include Dina Bailey, ANZ agency lead; Daniel King, senior client partner; and […]
X Booted Out Of Social Self-Reg Code Following Inaction On Voice To Parliament Disinformation
X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, has been kicked out of Australia’s code for managing misinformation and disinformation online due to its lack of response to user complaints during the Voice to Parliament referendum. Lead image; Linda Yaccarino, CEO, X Twitter and subsequently X, had been a signatory to the Australian Code of Practice […]
Leonardo.Ai Accelerates Global Growth Generating 700 Million AI Images In Less Than A Year On AWS
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced that Leonardo.Ai, an Australian generative artificial intelligence (generative AI) content production platform, is creating 4.5 million new images daily on the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud. Since launching in December 2022, Leonardo.Ai’s users have generated more than 700 million images and trained more than 400,000 custom generative […]
AI Chaos Reigns! – She’s Got The Stocks – 23 November 2023
Bezos also expected to unload a boatload of Amazon shares. He needs to pay for his superyacht somehow, after all.
Social Media Manager & Web Developer Top “Lazy Girl Jobs”
Despite the pejorative name, "Lazy girl jobs" are about exposing toxic workplaces. Apparently.
Amazon Australia Enlists ‘Tanya From Accounts’ To Promote Black Friday
Amazon failing to answer the age old question: Is it actually a bargain if you don't need it?
Friends, Colleagues Urge X CEO Linda Yaccarino To Resign
It could be worse for Linda, she could work at OpenAI.
WLT Alum Megan Dalla-Camina Wins Telstra Best of Business Award
At this rate, Dalla-Camina will be running out of mantlepiece space to store all her trophies.
Mining Magnate Gina Rinehart Demands Zuck Take Action Over Spoof Facebook Accounts
The ever-delightful Gina Rinehart has taken aim at Zuck. We can hear him quaking from California.
As Sam Altman Returns To OpenAI, Is The Circus Finally Over?
Were you as confused as we were during the OpenAI saga? Here's the lowdown on all the comings and goings.
Former Optus Exec Goes In To Bat For Kelly Bayer Rosmarin
Ex-CMO Mel Hopkins defends Bayer Rosmarin on LinkedIn following the outage. Once her internet came back, that is.
Australian Women Relying On Social Media For News
Aussie women are relying on social media for news, when they should be relying on Women Leading Tech.
Apple Releases Emotional Christmas Ad Filmed On iPhone 15 Pro Max
A two-for-one here with a good look at the new iPhone and MacBook Air & getting to flunk off work for four minutes.
Ruth Hirst On How Synergy Effect Is Adapting To New Challenges In 2024
WLT chats with Synergy Effect's co-founder Hirst to about how tech has changed events forever in the wake of COVID.
Kelly Bayer Rosmarin Resigns From Optus After Outage Leaves 10 Million Without Coverage
After a mauling in the Senate last week, Bayer Rosmarin calls it quits at Optus.
CXTX Introduces No_Code AI Platform For Digital Campaigns
Remember when everyone was shouting about teaching kids to code? Turns out no-code is all the rage now.
Microsoft Finally Confirms AI Chip Bid – She’s Got The Stocks – 16 November 2023
It's been an auspicious week for Satya Nadella but a decidedly inauspicious week for Sundar Pichai.
Optus’ Bayer Rosmarin: “Our Systems Are Actually Very Stable”
It's an interesting approach from Bayer Rosmarin here. But, in fairness, what else could she have said?
The Trade Desk Q3 2023 Revenues Up 25% Year-On-Year Despite Challenging Market
Hear that? It's the sound of furrowed brows being wiped and glasses clinking at The Trade Desk's offices.
Captify Australia & Spotify Media Mixer To Support Musicians Making A Difference
Spotify & Captify join forces to support musicians. Here's hoping Shopify joins to give us the -ify trifecta.
Optus Finds Unlikely Friend In Billionaire Gerry Harvey
Trying times can make for unusual bedfellows but we certainly didn't have this one on the cards!
Canva Adds Commercial Music For Content Creation
In a crushing blow to silent movie buffs, Canva is rolling out freely available music on its platform.
Caroline Tran On How Hello Clever Is Advocating For Consumers During The Cost Of Living Crisis
WLT award winner Tran is helping consumers manage their money - support we desperately need in the editorial team!
Inlight Empowers Girls In Tech With New Partnership
Inlight and Girls In Tech partner on new events and sponsorships for women joining the industry - great work!
AI Top Priority For More Than Half Of Retailers
AI could be transformative for retailers. Though they'll still rely on teenagers to stack the shelves.
Digital Technology Accounts For 4% Of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
WLT investigating digital's dirty secret here. WLT's only dirty secret is a penchant for midnight Tim Tams.
Tech Stocks Recover Following Rates Optimism – She’s Got The Stocks 9 November 2023
It's a good week for almost everyone in the WLT index with Appen & Nvidia setting the pace.
Google Partners With Australian Associated Press On Digital Journalism Skills Workshops
This support for regional newsrooms is commendable. Whether there are any journos left to support is another matter.
Meta Announces Partneships To Address Sextortion Risks For Young People
This new partnership addresses a very real and very sad issue online.
Meta Bans Political Advertisers From Using Gen AI Tools
Meta's attempt to put the election misinformation cat back in the bag is certainly admirable.
Kelly Bayer Rosmarin & Optus’ Day From Hell
Have you ever had a crap day at work? Spare a thought for the team at Optus over the last 24 hours.
“Get Off Your Period”: GiveTree Founder Sam Joel Resigns After Comments Targeting Women In The Tech Field
GiveTree's charitable mission was noble. Its CEO, however, was a knob.
“Does Every Job Require A Degree?” – How Generation Australia Is Reshaping The Workforce
While some are asking whether everyone needs a degree, WLT's editorial team wonder how on earth we finished ours.
Stocks Rally Following Fed Decision – She’s Got The Stocks 11 November 2023
Shares in Tinder and Hinge's parent company dropped 15 per cent this week - are we doomed to be lonely & broke?
Governments Vow To Collaborate On AI Regulation But Overall Alignment Unclear
Minister Ed Husic jets off to England to hear about AI. Clearly, he hadn't had his fill during SXSW Sydney.
Atlassian Acquires Melbourne-Based Software Firm AirTrack
Atlassian's acquisition adventures continues as it picks up this tiny Melbourne firm.